View source for Sanford and Son

{{Short description|American sitcom television series (1972–1977)}}
{{more citations needed|date=November 2015}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox television
| image                = Sanford and son logo.png
| caption              = 
| genre                = [[Sitcom]]
| based_on             = {{Based on|''[[Steptoe and Son]]''|[[Galton and Simpson|Ray Galton<br />Alan Simpson]]}}
| developer            = {{Plainlist|
* [[Bud Yorkin]]
* [[Norman Lear]] (uncredited)
}}
| writer               = 
| story                = 
| presenter            = 
| starring             = {{Plainlist|
* [[Redd Foxx]]
* [[Demond Wilson]]
}}
| theme_music_composer = [[Quincy Jones]]
| opentheme            = "[[Sanford and Son Theme (The Streetbeater)|The Streetbeater]]"
| endtheme             = 
| composer             = Quincy Jones
| country              = United States
| language             = English
| num_seasons          = 6
| num_episodes         = 136
| list_episodes        = List of Sanford and Son episodes
| executive_producer   = {{Plainlist|
* [[Bud Yorkin]]
* Norman Lear (uncredited)
}}
| producer             = {{Plainlist|
* [[Aaron Ruben]] (1972–1974)
* [[Bernie Orenstein]] and [[Saul Turteltaub]] (1974–1977)
}}
| cinematography       = 
| editor               = 
| camera               = [[Multi-camera setup|Multi-camera]]
| runtime              = 22–24 minutes
| company              = [[Tandem Productions]]
| budget               = 
| network              = [[NBC]]
| first_aired          = {{Start date|1972|1|14}}
| last_aired           = {{End date|1977|3|25}}
| related              = {{Plainlist|
* ''[[Sanford Arms]]''<br />''[[Sanford (TV series)|Sanford]]''
* ''[[Steptoe and Son]]''<br />''[[Grady (American TV series)|Grady]]'' 
}}
}}

'''''Sanford and Son''''' is an American [[sitcom]] television series that aired on [[NBC]] from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977. It was based on the British sitcom ''[[Steptoe and Son]]'', which initially aired on [[BBC1]], in the United Kingdom, from 1962 to 1974.

Known for its [[Ethnic joke|racial humor]], [[running gag]]s, and [[catchphrase]]s, the series was adapted by [[Norman Lear]] and considered NBC's response to [[CBS]]' ''[[All in the Family]]''. ''Sanford and Son'' has been hailed as the precursor to many other [[Black sitcom|black American sitcoms]]. It was a hit through its six-season run, finishing in the [[Nielsen ratings|Nielsen]] top ten five times.

The series follows [[Fred G. Sanford]], known for his [[bigotry]] and cantankerousness, and [[Sanford and Son#Lamont Sanford|Lamont Sanford]], his long-suffering, [[Conscientiousness|conscientious]], peacemaker son. Both characters are occasionally involved in [[get-rich-quick scheme]]s to pay off their various [[debt]]s.

The show also includes characters [[Esther Anderson (Sanford and Son)|Aunt Esther]], [[Grady Wilson (Sanford and Son)|Grady Wilson]], Bubba Bexley, Rollo Lawson, Donna Harris, and Julio Fuentes.

==Plot==
[[File:Redd Foxx Demond Wilson Sanford and Son 1972.JPG|thumb|180px|Fred (seated) and Lamont Sanford]]
''Sanford and Son'' stars [[Redd Foxx]] as Fred G. Sanford, a widower and [[Junk shop|junk dealer]] living at 9114 South Central Avenue in the [[Watts, Los Angeles, California|Watts]] neighborhood of [[Los Angeles|Los Angeles, California]], and [[Demond Wilson]] as his son Lamont Sanford. In the show, Fred moved to [[South Los Angeles|South Central Los Angeles]] from his hometown [[St. Louis]] during his youth.

After the show premiered in 1972, newspapers touted Foxx as NBC's answer to [[Archie Bunker]], the bigoted white protagonist of ''All in the Family''.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025}} Both shows were adapted by Norman Lear from BBC programmes. ''Sanford and Son'' was adapted from ''Steptoe and Son'' and ''All in the Family'' from ''[[Till Death Us Do Part]]''.

An earlier pilot for an American version of ''Steptoe and Son'' was produced by [[Joseph E. Levine]] in 1965. It starred [[Lee Tracy]] and [[Aldo Ray]] as Albert and Harold Steptoe. This version was unscreened and did not lead to a series. The pilot was released on DVD in the UK in 2018.

==Characters==
<ref name="Fearn-BanksBurford-Johnson2014">{{Cite book |last=Fearn-Banks |first=Kathleen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wxa7BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA411 |title=Historical Dictionary of African American Television |last2=Burford-Johnson |first2=Anne |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |year=2014 |isbn=978-0-8108-7917-1 |series=Historical Dictionaries of Literature and the Arts |page=411 |access-date=2023-06-27 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref><ref name="CCH_IMDb">{{Cite web |title=Cha Cha Hogan |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1821159/ |access-date=2023-06-27 |website=[[IMDb]]}}</ref><ref name="JazzArchivist2015">{{Cite journal |last=Brock |first=Jerry |date=2015 |title=Baby Doll Addendum and Mardi Gras '49 |url=https://digitallibrary.tulane.edu/islandora/object/tulane%3A122157/datastream/PDF/view |journal=The Jazz Archivist: A Newsletter of the William Ransom Hogan Jazz Archive |publisher=[[Tulane University Libraries]] |volume=28 |access-date=2023-06-27 |archive-date=October 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026004650/https://digitallibrary.tulane.edu/islandora/object/tulane:122157/datastream/PDF/view |url-status=dead }}</ref>
=== Main ===

* [[Redd Foxx]] as [[Fred G. Sanford]]
* [[Demond Wilson]] as Lamont Sanford

===Recurring===
* [[LaWanda Page]] as [[Esther Anderson (Sanford and Son)|Esther Anderson]]
* [[Whitman Mayo]] as [[Grady Wilson (Sanford and Son)|Grady Wilson]]
* [[Don Bexley]] as Don "Bubba" Bexley
* [[Raymond_Allen_(television_actor)|Raymond Allen]] as Woodrow "Woody" Anderson
* [[Nathaniel Taylor (actor)|Nathaniel Taylor]] as Rollo Lawson
* [[Lynn Hamilton (actress)|Lynn Hamilton]] as Donna Harris
* [[Gregory Sierra]] as Julio Fuentes
* [[Pat Morita]] as Ah Chew
* [[Howard Platt]] as Officer Howard "Hoppy" Hopkins
* [[Hal Williams]] as Officer "Smitty" Smith
* [[Noam Pitlik]] as Officer "Swanny" Swanhauser
* [[Nancy Kulp]] as May Hopkins
* [[Marlene Clark]] as Janet Lawson
* [[Slappy White]] as Melvin
* [[Leroy Daniels]] and Ernest 'Skillet' Mayhand as Leroy & Skillet
* [[Stymie Beard|Matthew "Stymie" Beard]] as Otis Littlejohn
* [[Arnold Johnson (actor)|Arnold Johnson]] as George "Hutch" Hutton
* [[Davis Roberts]] as Dr. Caldwell
* [[James Wheaton]] as Nelson B. Davis
* [[Alvin Childress]] as Reverend Trimble
* [[Mary Alice]] as Frances Victor
* Allan Drake as Rodney Victor

==Episodes==
{{Main|List of Sanford and Son episodes}}
{{:List of Sanford and Son episodes}}

==Reception and cancellation==
''Sanford and Son'' was enormously popular during most of its run and was one of the top 10 highest-rated series on American television from its first season (1972) through the 1975–76 season.

''Sanford and Son'' put enough of a dent into the audience of [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s ''[[The Brady Bunch]]'' to drive it off the air in 1974. ''Sanford and Son'' peaked at No. 2 in the [[Nielsen ratings]] during the 1972–73 season and the 1974–75 season, and the series was second only to ''[[All in the Family]]'' in ratings during those years. By the 1974–75 season, ''Sanford and Son''{{'s}} lead-in helped the entire NBC Friday night lineup place in the coveted bracket of the Top 15 shows (''[[Chico and the Man]]'', following ''Sanford and Son'' at 8:30 p.m., ranked No. 3 for the season, while the police dramas ''[[The Rockford Files]]'' and [[Police Woman (TV series)|''Police Woman'']], which aired later in the evening, ranked at No. 12 and No. 15, respectively).{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}}

The show's ratings dipped substantially in its final season, though it was still quite popular at the time of its cancellation.

In 2007, [[Time (magazine)|''Time'']] magazine included the show on its list of the "100 Best TV Shows of All Time".<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=All-Time 100 TV Shows |url=https://time.com/collection/all-time-100-tv-shows/ |access-date=May 31, 2022 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]}}</ref>

===Ratings===
''Sanford and Son'' was a ratings hit through its six-season run on NBC. Despite airing in the so-called [[Friday night death slot]], it managed to peak at No. 2 in the ratings (behind ''All in the Family'', and ranked less than one ratings point behind ''All in the Family'' during the 1974–75 season).

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Season !! Time slot ([[Eastern Time Zone|ET]]) !! Rank !! Rating !! Households
|-
| [[1971–72 United States network television schedule|1971–72]] || rowspan="5"|Friday at 8:00–8:30 PM || No. 6 || 25.2 || 15,649,200
|-
| [[1972–73 United States network television schedule|1972–73]] || No. 2 || 27.6 || 17,884,800
|-
| [[1973–74 United States network television schedule|1973–74]] || No. 3 || 27.5 || 18,205,000
|-
| [[1974–75 United States network television schedule|1974–75]] || No. 2 || 29.6 || 20,276,000
|-
| [[1975–76 United States network television schedule|1975–76]] || No. 7 || 24.4 (Tied with ''[[Rhoda]]'') || 16,982,400
|-
| [[1976–77 United States network television schedule|1976–77]] || Friday at 8:00–8:30 PM <small>(Episodes 1, 3–11, 13–25)</small><br />Friday at 8:30–9:00 PM <small>(Episode 2)</small><ref>{{Cite web |title=TV Listings for September 24, 1976 |url=http://www.tvtango.com/listings/1976/09/24/sanford_and_son |access-date=January 1, 2017 |website=TVTango.com}}</ref><br />Tuesday at 8:00–8:30 PM <small>(Episode 12)</small><ref>{{Cite web |title=TV Listings for December 7, 1976 |url=http://www.tvtango.com/listings/1976/12/07/sanford_and_son |access-date=January 1, 2017 |website=TVTango.com}}</ref> || No. 27 || 20.3 || 14,453,600
|}

==Production notes==
The series was produced by [[Norman Lear]]'s and [[Bud Yorkin]]'s [[Tandem Productions]], which was also responsible for ''All in the Family''. The two shows were both based on popular British sitcoms and both were pioneers of edgy, [[Ethnic joke|racial humor]] that reflected the changing politics of the time. Both series also featured outspoken, working-class protagonists with overt prejudices. However, ''Sanford and Son'' differed from ''All in the Family'' and other Norman Lear shows of the era in that it lacked the element of drama. ''Sanford and Son'' helped to redefine the genre of [[Black sitcom|black situation comedy]].

Because of Lear's commitments to his other concurrent series, and the distance between [[The Burbank Studios|NBC Studios]] in [[Burbank, California|Burbank]] where ''Sanford and Son'' were taped and the Hollywood locations of other Tandem shows, such as ''All in the Family'', [[Maude (TV series)|''Maude'']], ''[[The Jeffersons]]'', and [[One Day at a Time (1975 TV series)|''One Day at a Time'']], which were recorded at [[CBS Television City]] or [[Metromedia Square]], he did not have as much day-to-day involvement with ''Sanford and Son'' as with the other Tandem series, leaving the show-running to Yorkin.

While taping episodes for the 1973–74 season, Redd Foxx walked off the show in a salary dispute, though he cited health issues. His character was written out of the series for the remaining six episodes of the season, and it was explained that Fred Sanford was away in [[St. Louis]] attending his cousin's funeral, with friend Grady (Whitman Mayo) in charge of the home. Foxx, who had been earning $19,000 per episode, {{Inflation|US|19000|1973|fmt=eq|round=-1}}, sought a 25% ownership stake in the series. Tandem Productions fought back with a $10 million lawsuit. The dispute was resolved in June 1974, with Foxx receiving $25,000, {{Inflation|US|25,000|1973|fmt=eq|round=-1}}, per episode, to equal [[Carroll O'Connor]]'s ''All in the Family'' pay, plus 25% of the producers' net profits.

Although Foxx was still absent for production of the first three shows of Season 4, NBC aired his return as the season premiere and delayed showing the previously taped episodes. In 1977, rival network [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] lured Foxx away with a large sum to host his variety show, ''The Redd Foxx Comedy Hour'', ending ''Sanford and Son'', which had been gradually declining in the ratings. The media reported that the dispute between Foxx and NBC was over the lack of a dressing-room window.

An exterior shot of the NBC Burbank lot was featured in the [[List of Sanford and Son episodes#Season 5 (1975–76)|Season 5 episode "Steinberg and Son"]]. The storefront, seen only in the opening credits, stood at 10659 West Magnolia Boulevard in North Hollywood, nearly 16 miles from the Sanfords' fictitious 9114 South Central Avenue address in Watts. This same storefront, minus the "Sanford and Son" sign, can also be seen in ''[[Emergency!]]'' in a 1973 episode titled "Alley Cat".

The pickup truck depicted in the series is a 1951 [[Ford F-Series|Ford F1]]. It was purchased at auction after the series ended and was later leased back to NBC for the spin-off shows ''[[Sanford Arms]]'' and [[Sanford (TV series)|''Sanford'']]. It has changed hands a few times over the years, eventually purchased by a real-life junk dealer, Donald Dimmitt of Dimmitt's Auto Salvage, in [[Argos, Indiana]]. In 2014, the truck was purchased from Dimmitt's by Tim Franko and Jeff Canter, owners of BlueLine Classics, a classic car dealership in [[North Royalton, Ohio]], who restored the truck to its true condition as seen on the TV series and currently display it in the dealership's showroom.{{citation needed|date=May 2023}} It has since been on display in locations within Cleveland.

===Theme music===
Titled "[[Sanford and Son Theme (The Streetbeater)|The Streetbeater]]", the theme music was composed by [[Quincy Jones]] through [[A&M Records]] and released on record in 1973. Although the song did not reach ''[[Billboard Hot 100|Billboard]]'' status, it has maintained mainstream popularity and is featured on Jones' greatest-hits album.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Manhattan by Quincy Jones @artistdirect |url=http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/window/media/page/0,,232730-942797,00.html |website=ArtistDirect.com}}</ref> The song has been featured on series such as ''[[Scrubs (TV series)|Scrubs]]'' and ''[[The Simpsons]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sanford and Son Theme (The Streetbeater) by Quincy Jones |url=https://www.songfacts.com/facts/quincy-jones/sanford-and-son-theme-the-streetbeater |website=SongFacts.com}}</ref>

==Daytime reruns==
The series was rebroadcast on [[NBC]] from June 14, 1976 to July 21, 1978.

==Legacy==
After the series was canceled in 1977, a short-lived continuation featuring the supporting characters titled ''[[Sanford Arms]]'' aired. [[Whitman Mayo]] starred in a short-lived spin-off series, ''[[Grady (American TV series)|Grady]]'', during the 1975–1976 season.

In 1980–1981, Foxx attempted to revive the show with another short-lived series titled ''[[Sanford (TV series)|Sanford]]'', but Demond Wilson refused to reprise his role as Lamont Sanford for the new series.

==Home media==
[[Sony Pictures Home Entertainment]] released all six seasons of ''Sanford and Son'' on [[DVD region code#1|Region 1]] DVD between August 2002 and June 2005, with a ''Complete Series'' box set following in 2008.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!DVD name
!Ep #
!Release date
|-
| First Season
| 14
| August 6, 2002
|-
| Second Season
| 24
| February 4, 2003
|-
| Third Season
| 24
| October 7, 2003
|-
| Fourth Season
| 25
| March 30, 2004
|-
| Fifth Season
| 24
| September 14, 2004
|-
| Sixth and Final Season
| 25
| June 7, 2005
|-
| Complete Series
| 136
| October 28, 2008
|}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Portal|United States|Television|Comedy|Los Angeles}}
* {{IMDb title|0068128}}
* {{epguides|SanfordandSon}}

{{Sanford and Son}}
{{Norman Lear}}
{{Steptoe and Son}}
{{Galton and Simpson}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1970s American black sitcoms]]
[[Category:1970s American black television series]]
[[Category:1970s American multi-camera sitcoms]]
[[Category:1972 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:1977 American television series endings]]
[[Category:American English-language television shows]]
[[Category:American television series based on British television series]]
[[Category:NBC sitcoms]]
[[Category:Steptoe and Son]]
[[Category:Television series about widowhood]]
[[Category:Television series by Sony Pictures Television]]
[[Category:Television shows filmed in California]]
[[Category:Television shows set in Los Angeles]]